Cubs MLB Roster

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40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-21-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 14
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Recipes For Success

Submitted by Guest Columnist on

Recently, Virginia Phil has been poring over minor league stats at The Baseball Cube, trying to build an argument that Felix Pie is as ready for the majors as he'll ever be. In the process, he has turned up some numbers that illustrate how other teams have managed to bring some of their brightest prospects to the big leagues and done so successfully. This is a cooking article. It's about "seasoning," about how long various promising players are left to marinate in the minors before getting called up to the majors. I think the data itself is interesting, and I think I've found a visually effective way to present it. The data is too sketchy, I think, to support any conclusions or even to formulate the right questions about how players should be evaluated before being summoned to the parent club. What follows is a list of nearly two dozen players who, in the last ten years, won starting jobs in the majors while in their early twenties and seem to be enjoying successful careers. (Also included are a few players with Cub ties whose long-term success is yet to be determined.) I am interested in the minor league careers of these players, which I have summarized in a unique way. Take the Red Sox' recently anointed starting second baseman: Dustin Pedroia (23) 308/392/454 (21hr) 270: 011122222223333333333333333

Here's the code: the 23 in parentheses is his age when he made the big club (and not just for a late season call-up). 308/392/454 are his cumulative minor league numbers taken directly from the bottom line of the offensive stats on The Baseball Cube. I also tack on the number of minor-league home runs (21). 270 is total minor league games. In the string of numbers that follows, each digit represents ten games and the level at which the player participated. To be specific, 3 means AAA, 2 means AA, 1 means A+ (High A). Everything below High A is represented by a 0. College seasons are not represented here, as Baseball Cube does not include them in the cumulative stats. I've done some rounding off, so, for example, Albert Pujols' three-game cup of coffee at AAA doesn't appear. Sometimes a player may go back to the minors for a brief rehab assignment, and those numbers get thrown into the Baseball Cube stats, but I try to ignore those stints in my variable-length digit strings.

The list:

  • Albert Pujols (21) 314/378/543 (19hr) 133: 0000000000011
  • Rafael Furcal (23) 310/386/388 (3hr) 245: 000000000000000000001111
  • Matt Murton (23) 309/380/451 (24hr) 266: 000001111111111111222222223
  • Dustin Pedroia (23) 308/392/454 (21hr) 270: 011122222223333333333333333
  • Bobby Crosby (24) 302/381/480 (32hr) 276: 111111112222223333333333333
  • Joe Mauer (21) 332/407/426 (9hr) 284: 0000000000000011111122222223
  • Rocco Baldelli (21) 282/329/434 (30hr) 302: 00000000000000000111111112233
  • Brian McCann (21) 275/334/462 (36hr) 305: 000000000000001111111111122222
  • Andruw Jones (19) 302/389/543 (62hr) 318: 00000000000000000000111111122223
  • Corey Patterson (22) 282/338/499 (54hr) 343: 00000000000222222222222333333333[33]
  • Carlos Beltran (23) 268/347/436 (42hr) 353: 0000000000001111111111111111122222
  • Scott Rolen (21) 303/389/477 (38hr) 355: 000000000000000011111112222222233333
  • Alfonso Soriano (24) 270/312/430 (38hr) 359: 111111111111112222222223333333333333
  • Jeff Francoeur (21) 282/330/478 (53hr) 363: 000000000000000001111111112222222222
  • Jason Bay (24) 301/395/487 (54hr) 381: 00000000000011111111111222222333333333
  • Miguel Tejada (21) 275/358/475 (70hr) 406: 000000000000000111111111112222222222222
  • Carl Crawford (21) 295/336/400 (17hr) 412: 000000000000000000002222222222222333333333
  • Felix Pie (22?) 294/353/459 (42hr) 487: 0000000000000000001111111111122222233333333333333
  • Grady Sizemore (22) 289/377/411 (27hr) 529: 000000000000000000111111111111122222222222223333333333
  • Alex Rios (23) 293/335/401 (20hr) 556: 00000000000000000000000000011111111111222222222222233333
  • Vernon Wells (22) 289/350/464 (67hr) 563: 00000000000000000000111111122233333333333333333333333333
  • Derrek Lee (21) 291/363/483 (100) 640: 0111111111111111111111111111222222222222223333333333333[333333333]

Notes and comments:

  1. Matt Murton had a very brief minor league career, which may explain why he hit a wall around June of his rookie year and why he really scuffled for a few weeks. He fought his way through that period and finished strong. To me, this illustrates the importance of getting prospects up and playing, so that by the next year, they can cease being rookies and can begin to carry themselves with the confidence of major leaguers.
  2. Soriano began his career by playing in Japan for two years, after which the Yankees sent him to rookie league for five games before promoting him to AA, so I somewhat arbitrarily categorized the Japan games as High A ("1").
  3. You'll notice bracketed digits at the end of both Corey Patterson's and Derrek Lee's strings. These signify the fact that the players were demoted to Triple-A after performing as starters in the majors. Patterson and Lee are the only two players on the list with this experience. Lee had 454 at-bats with the Marlins in 1998, hitting 17 home runs and knocking in 74 runs, but his 233/318/414 line didn't go over too well, apparently, and he was shipped to Calgary (PCL) for 89 games in '99. Patterson came up mid-year 2001--never mind a September call-up in 2000--and four years later(!), he was sent to Iowa for 26 games. Lee is a classic late bloomer. He's also the classic five-tooler whose defensive skills keep him in a starting role year after year until he gets the hitting thing figured out. His breakout year, 2005, when he hit .335 after a career average in the .270s, came at age 29. Patterson is 27 now. He's toolsy and seems to still have a starting job. So you begin to wonder: can we take the comparison with Lee a step further and look for an imminent breakout year from Patterson as someone at TCR--Real Neal, I think, or maybe Vorare--recently predicted? Patterson's best year was probably 2004 when, at age 25, he hit 266/320/452 in 631 AB with 24 HR, 32 SB, 45 BB and 168 SO. The numbers are decent except for the walks vs. strikeouts, and the low OBP--thanks largely to how infrequently he walked. Lee has some whiff in his resume, also. In 2002, at 26, he struck out a Patterson-like 164 times. In Memphis (AA) at age 20, Lee fanned 170 times in 500 at bats, or once every 2.94 AB! Though he swung and missed often, Lee could also keep the bat on his shoulder, and he drew 98 walks to go with the 164 strikeouts. Since 2002, Lee has reduced his strikeouts while holding the BBs fairly steady, and his OBP has remained in the high .300s and low .400s. All you can say now about Patterson is what they've always said: it's in his head and in his hands. It's hard to see what the Cubs could have done differently, or how "rushing" versus slower seasoning are relevant to his case.
  4. Top prospects drive a wedge in front of them that pushes incumbents out of the way. Rolen: Todd Zeile traded by Phillies to free up third base. Beltran: Johnny Damon moved to a corner outfield spot, then traded a year later. Wells: Jose Cruz, Jr. moved to a corner spot and then traded. Pujols: came up in 2001 and played 3rd base, which had opened up the year before when Fernando Tatis was traded. Tatis may not seem like much of an obstacle, but in '99 he hit 34 HRs and drove in 107 runs. Bay: two-time All Star Brian Giles traded for leftfield replacement Bay (and Oliver Perez). Baldelli: Randy Winn traded to open up centerfield. Crosby: A's saw him coming and let Miguel Tejada walk. Pedroia: Red Sox let Mark Loretta go to open a spot for the rookie. Pie: Juan Pierre not offered a contract by the Cubs to keep centerfield open (at least temporarily).
Tags
Interesting Stats

Comments

Submitted by Cubnut on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:17 am

Appreciate all the spadework, Virginia Phil. The possible connection between Patterson and Lee is an interesting point. As you suggest, Patterson's apparent "head" problem could get in the way. His swing has always seemed so out of control--I can't hear or read his name without picturing that helicopter swing--it is hard for me to imagine him following a career arc like Lee's.

Submitted by cubster on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:59 am

I love the creatitivity here VPhil, especially the visual aspect of the analysis I wonder what a consistent as well as strong but skilled hitting coach (LouPa) and a philosophy to see more pitches per at bat until you get your pitch (Gerald Perry) would have done with CPat. I always thought the Baker regime gave him too much direction (and sometimes in the wrong direction) which made CPat crazy and even more bull headed about taking instruction with a grain of salt. Corey was left lost in the forest imho. I too suspect he will improve as he goes into his peak years of 28-30.

Submitted by 10man on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:13 am

Great article V.Phil. I was quite surprised by the huge number of minor league games that Pie has played in (487). I was a bit ambivalent before on whether Felix is ready or not. Based on this data though, and the fact that A.Phil says that Pie already has major league caliber defense, then I would now say that he should be up here already shoring up our outfield defense and letting him learn the nuances of hitting from the 8th spot. I really wouldn't be surprised if Jacque Jones isn't back with the team next year or even traded before the deadline this season.

Submitted by cubster on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:15 am

DeLuca on Zambrano talks... reporting basic structure is agreed upon, just hammering out options (world series and cy young bonuses, private suites, internet connections including The Cub Reporter dugout access, etc.). Z's deadline of opening day apparently not a hard line drawn in the sand.

Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:46 am

Can we get Z lifetime Free Cub Reporter t-shirts - or, maybe just for the length of contract? Mouse pad? ROB?

Submitted by steve on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:50 am

I'm in favor of t-shirts but no mouse pad. We don't want to encourage the use of the computer with his carpal tunnel incident.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:14 am

VA Phil. Very interesting graphical representation I still think you're making the conclusion first, then getting data to support it, rather than the other way around. You've got one other player who hasn't done anything in the majors on that list. You've got some ROY winners, some guys who took some time to get used to the bigs, and some guys who were probably rushed. You've also got Pujols on there. A draft and follow collegian, who forced his way onto the BL roster with a torrid ST in 2001. What does his career tell us about Felix Pie? Why not put Ted Williams' minor league stats in there? Soriano also played in the JL minors as I recall prior to joining the Yankees. The only guys on the list who Pie has outproduced in the minors both in OBP and SLG are middle infielders, and Rocco Baldelli, whose game still has the same flaw as CP's - too little plate discipline. What about players like this? Joey Gathright (22) 315/391/350 (0hr) 262 0000001111111122222333333 Hee Seop Choi (23) *278/*385*520* 432 00000000111111111222333333333333333333333 They both suit the criteria you named, except that they couldn't hold onto the jobs they were given.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:23 am

Not that I am down on Pie, I should add. I just prefer that he take a big league job, not that he just has one given to him. Pie's PCL Ranks last year in those three categories Avg 37th Slg 32nd OBP 51st For Comparison Mike Fotenot Avg 25th Slg 33rd OBP 17th Can he please out-hit Mike Fotenot before we give him a spot in the Cubs' outfield?

Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:52 am

Since you are disclosing ex-Cubs, Jerome Williams is the 5th starter on the Nationals. I know CWTP will be happy - he likes us to know about Jim Hendry letting All Star pitchers go. ;-)

Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:57 am

Gee...Felix coldn't outhit Joe McEwing, Kerry Robinson, Mike Kinkade, Josh Phelps, Ernie Young, and any other AAA veteran....guess he'll never be ready...oh well, we had better trade him to the Orioles for some baseballs and a used catcher's mitt. TRN....Pie needs to cut down on his K's....absolutely. Defensively, he is ready, and he could hold his own offensively.

Submitted by wonka23 on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:11 am

It looks like Pie's minor leage performance mirrors Sizemore's pretty well. I can't help but think that bode's well for him....

Submitted by Green Lantern on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:16 am

nice that perez is gone.....no reason to ever have him over cedeno or theriot article in the trib includes a couple of gems: -Murton is the emergency catcher (he last caught in high school). where have you gone Jose Macias, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you..... -Zambrano says that the Piniella era won't be very different than the Baker era, except that there are more rules, which is good bc to be a disciplined team you have to have rules. love it.... lastly, I believe that Steve Phillips will be the color guy announcing the Cubs game on Monday on espn2 for those of us outside of WGN range.

Submitted by Transmission on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:19 am

FWIW - I submitted this article to Baseball Think Factory, to see if the guys there will put it on their Newsstand page. Good work deserves to be rewarded, and read.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:36 am

SEASONING? I don't need no stinkin' seasoning! Don't need no power or batting average either... As I read your article Va Phil, I thought you might mention this newly minted ML CF, (22) .266 .355 .365 .720 (12 hr) 396: 000000000000000000001111111111112222222 That's Alejandro de Aza, new centerfielder for the Florida Marlins. All 6'0" and 170 lbs

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:44 am

Of course the Marlins don't know what they're doing. They are cheap bastards who don't spend any money for players. They haven't won a pennant or a World Series in the last four years. And they haven't had a better record than us three out of last four... Have they?!

Submitted by cubster on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:52 am

And they haven’t had a better record than us three out of last four… ----- c'mon cwtp, it's not like we don't share pitchers with them?

Submitted by Henry on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:54 am

I think that one thing that factors into rookies progressing successfully into the majors is the culture of the team into which they are moving. Atlanta, Florida, Oakland and some other teams always seem to have rookies who, more often than not, find a way, or in some ways are more fully encouraged, to succeed. I don't have any quantitative data, but it just seems that way to me. When Patterson struggled a few years ago, the environment around the Cubs seemed toxic. Now Corey certainly wasn't the best listener, but I think that some of his struggles were the result of Cub culture.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:06 am

DB, "Defensively, he is ready, and he could hold his own offensively." You're talking about Choi, right?

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:13 am

Since you are disclosing ex-Cubs, Jerome Williams is the 5th starter on the Nationals. I know CWTP will be happy - he likes us to know about Jim Hendry letting All Star pitchers go. ;-) Jerome Williams came up through the minor league system developed by Jim Hendry?!! E-Man, you must be the only person in the world who knows this! And here I thought he came up with the Giants.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:26 am

Henry, you said, "When Patterson struggled a few years ago, the environment around the Cubs seemed toxic. Now Corey certainly wasn’t the best listener, but I think that some of his struggles were the result of Cub culture." I think you're describing the culture of McFail/Hendry/Baker. 2/turds of which are gone. I was reading an interview with Derrek Lee last night where he dropped a bombshell that no one has picked up on yet. He said that the reason Dusty Baker didn't bring Felix Pie up last September was because Baker was sure that if Pie had trouble at the plate, he would receive racist threats like Jacque Jones did and he wanted to spare him the trauma. Of course that was a self-serving lie by Baker, one of the biggest weasels in baseball. Baker didn't want Pie to play because he was committed to giving his man Juan Pierre every possible at bat so Pierre could pad his stats and bonuses based on production. He was also committed to playing Jones every day as well. And he had already tried to platoon Murton and Freddie Bynum but that was so transparently stupid he was forced to give Murt his starting role back. Nope, the only place for Pie to play was CF and Dusty was not going to give him ANY playing time.....too much racism in Chicago for that... so Pie stayed home.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:31 am

And they haven’t had a better record than us three out of last four… —– c’mon cwtp, it’s not like we don’t share pitchers with them? don't get me started, but I think Hendry is the Marlins director of player development. If so, he deserves a raise.

Submitted by Virginia Phil on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:38 pm

I still think you’re making the conclusion first, then getting data to support it, rather than the other way around.(#8) It's not unscientific to present a hypothesis and then test it with data. I'm not sure what the hypothesis was in this piece, though. As I said, I thought the data itself was interesting or at least easy to take in quickly. There is a hypothesis in here somewhere that I'd like to test if I knew how: that if you're a team and you like a guy, you can't bring him up too soon. It's impossible to rush him. Throw him in the pool; if he sinks, he wasn't going to make it anyway. Keeping him on the farm is just what you do when you don't have confidence in your own judgment and your scouts' judgment. I'm not saying this is true, but it could be true. Why do we assume that it's not true? Here's an example: doesn't Tyler Colvin look like someone who could survive a rookie year in the majors starting tomorrow? Speaking of Colvin, I think the Cubs are showing more self-confidence as a team that can develop its own people since Tim Wilken joined. Colvin and Samardjiya are on the express elevator to the bigs and may arrive before F. Pie manages to hit .330 in triple A!

Submitted by Eric the Great on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:14 pm

Pie has yet to put in a full season at AAA, he's progressed steadily, and he's still very young for his level. Let's give him another year at least before we're ready to throw his bat under the bus. His defense and speed are so strong, all he needs do is offer Mark Kotsay-type production and he'll be a major league asset in CF.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:39 pm

"Throw him in the pool; if he sinks, he wasn’t going to make it anyway. " Well, it is sort of Bakerian logic there, with a built in excuse. But I think it can be proven incorrect. How many players have bombed or washed out with one organization and then gone on to a second (or third) and been much more successful? I think that list would be pretty long.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:16 pm

Eric? Pie played 141 games and had 559 AB's last year at AAA. What exactly constiutes a full season? Lol....

Submitted by Virginia Phil on Sun, 04/01/2007 - 04:39 pm

How many players have bombed or washed out with one organization and then gone on to a second (or third) and been much more successful? Everyone struggles to some degree his first year in the majors, and some are probably bound to struggle mightily whatever their age or experience. Rich Hill was already 26 last year, when he pitched with complete confidence at Iowa and zero confidence in Chicago. Hill was one of those guys who have to fail before they can succeed. Ronny Cedeno. When the Cubs traded Dontrelle and Ricky Nolasco, it wasn't that they didn't like those guys. They liked them, they just didn't think they were ready. They had other guys in the pipeline who they thought were "closer." The Marlins thought Willis and Nolasco were ready. That was the difference.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:34 am

"The Marlins thought Willis and Nolasco were ready. That was the difference." Oh I didn't realize the Marlins had called up Willis right after the trade, let me look it up... Yeah, I was right. Nolasco didn't exactly set the world of fire last year, either. Which veterans did the Marlins release to make room for Willis and Nolasco? It doesn't make any sense to compare pitchers to hitters. It also doesn't make any sense to compare the Marlins and D-Rays to the Cubs. They operate in totally different worlds. Compare the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers to the Cubs, but don't say that Pie has been in the minors enough, because the Rays called up a guy from A-Ball. Again, you're obscuring the facts. What about the fact that Pie would have been called up with Murton in '05 had he not broken his ankle? Why is there no mention of that whatsoever anywhere in your article? Nor do I see a mention of Adam Greenberg. Obviously he had some bad luck, but just because you skip AAA, that doesn't mean you're going to be a All-Star or win a ROY. Let's look at the facts as you presented them, skewed sample selection aside. Of all those players the only guys who Pie has out-hit are middle infielders and 1 center fielder who has no RoY and no All Star appearnces, despite playing for a team that usually has just one representative. Was there an injury that opened the way for Pie last year that I am unaware of? Has there been one this year? Are the Cubs so financially strapped that they need to trade off players and replace them with guys from the minors? Or maybe you think Pie is a ready made Hall of Famer like Pujols and Jones? I have yet to see a reason that Pie should be on the ML roster other than 'but I really want him to'. For 2007 which players is he going to out-produce? Possibly Ward, but Ward can play first and he can hit off the bench, 2 skills which Pie doesn't have and the Cubs don't really want him to develop. If you want to say the highly honed offensive game of Mike Fotenot is too high a goal to achieve, how about out-hitting Ronny Cedeno?

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:37 am

Oh yeah, when the Cubs traded Willis they had Prior and Zambrano in the pipe-line. I guess they were right about which prospects were closer.

Submitted by Virginia Phil on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:50 am

Of all those players the only guys who Pie has out-hit are middle infielders and 1 center fielder who has no RoY and no All Star appearnces, despite playing for a team that usually has just one representative. In the first "Pie piece" in this series, I compared Pie to Beltran, Wells and Crawford as minor leaguers and wrote that "in this group, Pie is at the top in OBP and near the top in average and slugging." I also said that none of these guys were great hitters in the minors and that they were promoted for reasons having to do with tools, attitude, the cut of their jib, etc. Again, you’re obscuring the facts. What about the fact that Pie would have been called up with Murton in ‘05 had he not broken his ankle? Why is there no mention of that whatsoever anywhere in your article? In my second piece, I did say that "if Felix Pie had not injured his ankle, he would have made his Cub debut the same week as Murton in 2005 and we would know who our centerfielder was today." It's tricky, though, to keep prospects in the minors until there is an injury. If Jones or Soriano gets injured, Pie will be called up. On the other hand, if Barrett or Lee or Ramirez is injured, and the Cubs look to trade for a replacement, Pie will be the guy that is sought in return. I give Hendry credit for not trading Pie yet, for at least trying to clear a path for him, and even for refusing to give Jones away. Jones is swinging the bat pretty well these days. I would say that Hendry and his scouts did a good job with Jones, and they turned up a good hitter, although a two-year contract would have been fine. For some reason, Jones gets no respect in the American League, but he's making a good impression in our league, and with each passing day, his contract gets shorter and he gets more tradeable. So I'll give Hendry the time he needs on this, and keep rooting for Jones and keep holding my breath till he's traded. For 2007 which players is he going to out-produce? He'll outproduce a lot of people in 2009. The problem is, you can't get to 2009 if he doesn't play now.

Submitted by Doc on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:33 am

Interesting piece Phil. There is another side to this. If Pie came up he would either displace Soriano in the CF (with Soriano moving to a corner OF) or ride the bench. Since the Cubs spent last winter loading up to contend and/or win the NL Central in '07, it would not make sense to stick a questionable hitting rookie in this lineup. So the issue is what's better riding the bench in Chicago or playing regularly in Iowa? To me the latter is the logical choice.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:01 am

"He’ll outproduce a lot of people in 2009. The problem is, you can’t get to 2009 if he doesn’t play now. " You mean like Ryan Howard? Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, Scott Rolen, Nomar Garciappara, Mike Piazza etc? It's not unheard of for a rookie to come up and play really well. The Cubs brass and I don't think it is likely that Pie would have done that to start 2007. Beltran was hitting .352 .427 .687 when he got called up. Howard was hitting .371 .467 .690 Nomar .343 .387 .733 Rolen ..274 .376 .411 with a 1:1 K to strikeout ratio Bay .303 .410 .541 Murton .342 .403 .498 Jones about .370 .425 .700 Franceour wasn't doing all that great, but what happened to him last year when the league quit throwing him strikes? Can you not see the difference between those guys and Pie?

Submitted by players » Reci… on Mon, 04/02/2007 - 04:52 pm

[...] Scott wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIt’s about “seasoning,” about how long various promising players are left to marinate in the minors before getting called up to the majors. I think the data itself is interesting, and I think I’ve found a visually effective way to … [...]

Submitted by Virginia Phil on Tue, 04/03/2007 - 04:24 am

Beltran was hitting .352 .427 .687 when he got called up. Those numbers are half a season at AA. At A+ the same year he was 276/364/427. The previous full season, also at A+, Beltran was a five-tool enigma at 229/311/363. In other words, they promoted him to AA and then to the majors at the first realistic opportunity. By the way, Pie's numbers in half a season at AAA (the second half) were 322/372/509. He hit .280 in ST 2006 and .350 this year in ST. It's Tuesday, you're probably not reading this, but it's a waste of time anyway if you don't have an appreciation of great young athletes and guys who can play center.

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    Sidenote, while the O Fortuna part has become a bit pop-culture cliched; the overall piece is very interesting and rather expansive in scope. I played percussion in a production of it while in college.  There is a rather jovial movement set in a tavern.  In the score it calls for the clinking of beer steins.  Let's just say we did a lot of research to determine the best sounding beer steins. 

  • crunch (view)

    ooof...this is just as likely as anything.  professional organists are weird humans.

  • SheffieldCornelia (view)

    Maybe it is only played when the hitter thus far in the game is "oh for two"-na at the plate?

  • crunch (view)

    who was AB when it was being played?  it could be something as corny as playing it for nick fortes because fortes/fortuna...fortes...marlins...fish...tuna...sigh.

    while the cubs organ player isn't a frequent groaner weaponizing the organ song selection, they all dabble in it.

  • crunch (view)

    in 2016 hendricks threw 190 innings for 45 earned runs.

    in the shortened 2020 season hendricks threw 81.1ip for 26 earned runs.

    in 2024 hendricks has thrown 21ip for 28 earned runs.

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